When artist Hans Peter Kuhn was invited to design an installation for the Giant’s Causeway, he took one look at the prehistoric rocks — and said no.

The natural phenomenon was so spectacular he couldn’t have added an artwork to it, he said, adding: “I walked down to the sea and I saw the bay next to it. It’s called Port Noffer and it’s shaped like an amphitheatre.”

The acclaimed German artist decided to site his artwork in the bay’s more ‘normal’ surroundings, but still found that the scale and grandeur of the landscape presented challenges.

“You have to do something that is big, otherwise people will not realise that it is there. You need something that will give a big impression,” he said.

The result is FLAGS, a mesmerising collection of randomly placed flags, red on one side and yellow on the other, flicking semaphore-like from one hue to the other as the ever-present wind changes direction.

They have been installed along the trail and banks of the cliff face, allowing visitors to first view the Causeway before discovering the installation.

Mr Kuhn said: “The idea is to show you the nature of nature. They behave completely unpredictably and they don’t need much wind to move.

“It’s an absolutely unpredictable and chaotic show.”

The installation, part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and Our Time Our Place, runs until November 4.